Network Report

10/31/13

Legal Resources

The American Academy of Pediatrics Immigrant Toolkit

The Immigrant Toolkit provides practical advice and resources related to the medical and legal needs of immigrant children and their families. Cristina Meneses, J.D., M.S., Senior Staff Attorney at the Network’s Eastern Region, developed and reviewed the toolkit’s legal components and compiled the state-by-state legal directory. The legal areas covered by the toolkit include: Availability of health insurance; access to public benefits such as subsidized housing, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, WIC, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families; legal concerns related to children’s and families’ immigration status; and more.

Updated Resource: Reducing Overdose Mortality

Nearly 15,000 deaths from fatal drug overdose are caused by prescription painkillers, or opioids, such as oxycontin and hydrocodone. Laws can be both a problem and solution in addressing this issue. Our updated resource outlines characteristics of naloxone and Good Samaritan laws in different states.

Public Health Law Webinar: Specialty Courts

Specialty courts focus specifically on one area of law, making them a cost-effective, efficient way of addressing public health problems. This webinar will introduce specialty courts as a way to improve public health outcomes; evaluate specialty family, drug treatment, and lead courts throughout the country; and share research and lessons learned from the establishment and operation of these courts. This webinar will take place on November 21 at 1 – 2 p.m. (ET).

Current Issues in Public Health Law

Policies to Reduce Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption

Close to one-third of children in the United States are currently obese or overweight, and public health experts have identified sugar-sweetened beverage (SSBs) consumption as a major contributing factor to poor diet and rising obesity rates. Communities considering policies to reverse this trend have a number of strategies available to them.

Ask the Experts:

The Network was contacted by a public health practitioner with questions about the authority of the FDA to regulate personal care products, particularly soap. The Network researched the subject and found that soap, as it is commonly defined by the public, is actually regulated under three different schemes at the federal level.

Public Health Law Research (PHLR)

A new study shows distracted driving is claiming the lives of pedestrians and bicyclists at an increasing rate: Pedestrian fatalities have steadily increased between 2005 and 2010 – from 347 in 2005 to 500 in 2010; bicyclist fatalities crashes increased from 56 in 2005 to 77 in 2008, decreasing to 73 fatalities in 2010. The study also finds that distracted drivers were 1.6 times more likely than non-distracted drivers to fatally hit pedestrians at marked cross-walks.

Meetings and Conferences

2013 APHA Annual Meeting

If you’re attending the APHA Annual Meeting next week in Boston, make sure to stop by the Network booth -- our attorneys and staff will be on hand to answer questions and share resources. You can also catch us at a number of public health law sessions, or at the APHA Law Section reception and the Learning Health System Pep Rally.

2014 Public Health Law Conference

It's not too early to register for the 2014 Public Health Law Conference! Taking place October 16 and 17, 2014 in Atlanta, GA, the conference will gather public health and legal experts from across the country to examine and discuss today’s critical challenges in public health law. Leaders in the field will present on a range of emerging issues from a variety of perspectives. Attendees will return home inspired and equipped to improve public health with legal solutions.

Student Network Webinars

Student Network Career Panel: Marice Ashe and Manel Kappagoda

Two leaders in the field of public health law, Marice Ashe, J.D., M.P.H. and Manel Kappagoda, J.D., M.P.H., of ChangeLab Solutions will speak in the November Student Network Career Panel. Ms. Ashe and Ms. Kappagoda will discuss their experiences building their careers in public health law, share recommendations for students and young professionals interested in the field, and answer questions during a Q&A session. This webinar takes place on November 8, 1 – 2 p.m. ET.

Rescheduled: Tools for Landing a Job in Public Health Law with Matthew Penn

Landing that perfect job isn’t always easy. In this webinar, Matthew Penn, Director of the Public Health Law Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will discuss the ins and outs of job searching and provide tips for successful cover letters, resumes and interviews. There will be time for a short Q&A session. This webinar will take place on Friday, December 6 at 1:30 p.m. (ET).

Opportunity: National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health (NLAPH)

The National Leadership Academy for the Public’s Health is now accepting applications for its 2014 training institute. This program enables multi-sector teams to address public health problems within their communities. The 12-month training will help participants master leadership skills, improve their ability to work across sectors, gain knowledge to achieve improvement and more.

Network People

Polly J. Price, an honors graduate of Harvard Law School, joined the Emory Law School faculty in 1995. Following a clerkship for Judge Richard S. Arnold of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Professor Price practiced law for several years at King & Spalding in Atlanta and Washington, D.C. Her work included health law, pharmaceutical regulation, and product liability. Professor Price is one of six scholars chosen for Scholars in Residence, a fellowship program of the Network and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For her fellowship project, Professor Price partners with public health agencies in El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico to improve coordination among government agencies within existing legal structures to address the rise in tuberculosis in the area.